On Thursday, June 22, the Senate Committee on the Budget released a "discussion draft" of the
Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (BCRA). The BCRA represents the Senate's initial version of the House passed American Health Care Act of 2017 (ACHA) that would repeal and replace provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Majority leader Mitch McConnell is hoping to have the Senate vote on this bill before the July 4 holiday.

The Senate Budget Committee's explanation of the BCRA provisions can be found here. The explanation also includes a link to the draft bill.

A Long List of VariablesExpect changes to the draft bill; it is a "discussion draft." Repealing the ACA is not a done deal and could very well not happen at all, depending on amendments made as the BCRA is debated in the Senate. In addition, the Congressional Budget Office still needs to analyze the bill and issue its report on the bill's impacts. It's anticipated this "scoring" will be done within a week, and the results will likely drive more debate.

There has been a lot of pre-planning to structure the voting rules in the Senate to come under the budget reconciliation process, which enhances passage of the Senate's version of the bill. Under the budget reconciliation process, debate is limited, protecting the bill from filibuster, and 51 "yes" votes will be needed to pass the BCRA bill. Normal Senate rules require 60 "yes" votes to pass legislation. Currently there are 52 Republican Senators and 48 Democratic Senators; however, in the event of a 50/50 tie vote, Vice President Pence can cast the deciding vote.

But, gathering 51 "yes" votes to pass the BCRA bill creates a challenge for the Senate leadership and the Trump administration. Plus, since the Senate rewrote the ACHA as was anticipated, a conference committee will need to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions in a manner acceptable to majorities in both the House and Senate. This process will undoubtedly test the ability to hold the voting groups of both chambers of Congress together for a second time.

Comparison of Plans to Repeal and Replace the ACAHere is a comparison of some of the BCRA's key features with provisions in the AHCA.